Expulsion is a form of forced migration that can have political, ethnic, and religious causes. People are forced to leave their homes simply because of their group affiliations. As violence is often threatened or used, returning is usually impossible.

From the 8th to the 15th century, Christian rulers conquered the Muslim-controlled parts of the Iberian Peninsula. In 1492, this ‘reconquest’ (Reconquista) was completed. The Castilian royal couple Ferdinand II and Isabella I then pursued the goal of creating a uniformly Christian empire. In March 1492, they issued the drastic Alhambra Edict. It ordered that professing Jews had to leave the empire. Tens of thousands fled. Otherwise, they had to renounce their faith and convert to Christianity. From 1609 onwards, the approximately 300,000 Muslims who had previously been baptised by force were also expelled.